Circle of Fate
by SecondCalling
Summary: Being junctioned to Adel forged a link between Rinoa and Ultimecia. Now Rinoa is hearing voices and seeing memories that haven't happened yet. But can they be real? New summary, new chapter! Reviews greatly appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

_All of the names, places, and characters in this story belong to Square Enix. I own nothing._

Rinoa sat on the cold stone, cursing her minimal attire. The wind was vicious around the high towers of Ultimecia's castle, and her thin top and short duster were doing little to shield her. She huddled closer to Squall, nestling her face against the warm fur of his jacket. Though it reeked of sweat and blood, it gave her great comfort; her knight was still here, protecting her.

She looked around at the rest of their team, her friends, all exhausted from seemingly endless battles. They had faced creatures from all over the world, in addition to Ultimecia's personal minions. Zell's Ehrgeiz gloves were ragged and thin, and even the boy himself seemed to be drained of energy. The usually active Selphie was slumped in a corner, her loud breathing muffled by Irvine's cowboy hat. The gunslinger was reloading Exeter, occasionally muttering something about Pulse Ammo and Iron Giants under his breath. Quistis was leaning on her elbows, looking out at the massive grounds. They had defeated every living thing in the entire castle, regaining their lost powers from Ultimecia's "servants." Now all that remained was the sorceress herself, she who had compressed time and sought to eliminate all life but her own. Rinoa could feel her powers emanating from the next room, yet she had made no move to attack. She was waiting for them, daring them to continue their journey.

While everyone seemed to be looking toward the future, Rinoa herself kept thinking back. She had done her best to fight alongside these SeeDs, these mercenaries who lived and breathed combat. She didn't want to be the weak member that cost someone their life. But ever since Adel had kidnapped her and junctioned with her, Rinoa's entire perspective had changed. The things she had heard during that battle, the memories, the visions…they couldn't be real. Could they? Rinoa tried to sleep, still haunted by the recollections of that day.


	2. Chapter 2

The party had broken into Lunatic Pandora, thanks to the amazing power of the Ragnorak's main gun. They had been forced to knock out Fujin and Raijin along the way, as the two had continued their sworn duty for Seifer and his cause. After finding their way through the maze-like structure, they had come upon Seifer himself. With the unexpected help of a new GF, they had defeated him once and for all…they thought. Rinoa had barely gotten over the shock of Seifer's death when he had jumped up, put his gunblade to her throat, and forced her towards Adel. The cruel sorceress had awakened, despite their best intentions. And she had used Rinoa as a human shield in her battle against Squall and SeeD.

_Where am I? What's going on?_

Rinoa!

_Squall?_

_**Kill them!**_

_Shots…are they shooting at me? Why are they shooting?_

Don't! You'll hit Rinoa!

Trust me!

Everyone! Single target spells only! No GFs!

_Why are they…how did I get up so high?_

**Energy Bomber!**

Look out!

_Did I just cast that? No, I'm…junctioned? Oh my God Zell! Are you hurt?_

Cure!

Blizzaga!

**Pitiful. Absorb!**

_Aah! What just happened?_

Did she just…

Squall! She's using Rinoa to heal herself!

Draw…regen!

_Ugh. Thank goodness._

_**What are you waiting for, Adel? Kill them!**_

_Who is that? Was that my voice? No…then why do I feel as if I just said it?_

**Flare!**

_Look out!_

Everyone spread out! Shell!

Hang on Rin!

_**Yes…thus ends SeeD. Time compression will occur**._

_Time comp…what? What does that mean?_

Selphie, move forward with me! Zell, swing around behind her!

**_Now I will have my revenge. All shall become nothing. Why, Squall? Why did you give up on me?_**

_What?!_

Thundaga!

**Absorb.**

Why isn't she attacking?

_**Use my powers, Adel. End this feeble attempt.**_

_What's going on? What is this voice in my head? Why am I saying these things?_

Quistis, help! Aura!

Mighty Guard!

**Ultima!**

_What? No…please don't be dead…my friends…Squall?_

Curaga!

Cura!

Cura!

**_Damn! How did they survive?_**

_No…thank God!_

_**You cannot stop me!**_

Everyone, attack!

**Absorb.**

_AAAaaah…I have to be strong. I have to stay with my friends._

**_Why did you betray me? You say you would be my knight forever! How could you leave? How could you turn me over to those soulless, indoctrinated SeeDs?_**

AP ammo…Shot!

_Who are you?_

Punch Rush! Booya!

_**Who am I? Who are WE?! Was I always so naïve?**_

_What? That's not…no…it can't be!_

Squall! Be careful!

This ends now!

**Ugh…accept my powers Rinoa. Let me die in peace.**

_**Weak, useless fool!**_

_This voice, these powers…it can't be._

_**Accept them. Take your place in this twisted circle of fate. **_

Rinoa? Are you okay?

_No. I…refuse._

Rinoa? It's Squall. I'm right here. Please, stay with me!

_**You don't have a choice.**_


	3. Chapter 3

The pain faded, as Adel released her junction of Rinoa. She barely registered Squall's presence somewhere close by as she slipped into unconsciousness. But when she opened her eyes, it was as if nothing had changed; she was still several feet off the ground, and she could feel Adel's body all around her.

She looked around frantically, trying to see where Squall had gone. Though her friends were nowhere to be found, she saw a small girl standing just in front of her. Rinoa knew she had never seen this girl before…but then why did she look so familiar?

She reached out to the girl, only to pull back in fear and disgust. The hand that reached out from her body was not Rinoa's, but Adel's. Suddenly her mind was freed of all its former cloudiness – she wanted that girl, she wanted her power, she would do anything to get it…

**Come to me, Ellone…**

Now everything became clear. She was inside Adel's body, living out the past when she ruled over Esthar. She was seeking Ellone's incredible power. And more than anything, she wanted to capture Ellone after all these years of searching.

_But I'm NOT Adel! I don't want these things!_

Rinoa's doubt caused the arm to hesitate again. Then, the figure of Ellone before her flickered, and sounds of static could be heard from the orb in which she was standing. It was a hologram! Rinoa herself felt relieved that Ellone was not in danger, but Adel burned with anger.

**You thought I would fall for that trick?**

"Yeah…of course. My plans are…always…perfect. Kiros! Ward! Now!"

_Laguna?_

Rinoa felt a shove from behind, and inside Adel she tumbled forward. The body encompassing her turned, and Rinoa felt a surge of magical power coming from within her. She tried to stop her arm from calling down the spell, afraid of what it would do to Laguna. But she didn't have to. The sealing device closed in front of her, and Rinoa was immediately frozen motionless. She began to lose feeling in her limbs, as smoke filled the small chamber.

_Am I dying? Will I be stuck inside Adel when she's launched into space? Laguna, I'm here! Squall? Ellone? Somebody help me!_

Darkness gradually filled her vision, and she lapsed into unconsciousness.

She woke up in Squall's arms. Selphie and the others were all crowded around, trying to see if she had slipped back into her mysterious coma. They all seemed relieved to see her open her eyes, but Rinoa herself was less than content. She wanted to cry, scream, yell, curl up into a ball, sigh in relief, all at the same time. She had been physically bonded to Adel and mentally controlled by Ultimecia; she felt as if her entire being had just been violated. She had just experienced the horror of being entirely sealed away, just as Adel had been – as they had tried to do to her. And in her current state, there was no way to communicate this to her friends; they couldn't possibly imagine the torture she had just gone through. The only thing she ended up doing was grabbing on to Squall, willing him to never leave her embrace. But suddenly she felt him slip from her grasp, as the very ground beneath him began to waver and eventually disappear.

"Okay, this is the showdown folks!" she heard Laguna shout. "Time compression is about to begin!"

The rest of his words were lost as Rinoa felt herself falling into empty space…

_I'll probably just disappear…_

Rinoa had almost given up hope. Without any time to deal with her recent experiences with Adel and Ultimecia, she had been thrown into time compression along with the others. It felt as if her body were slowly dissolving, each part of her separating from the whole as time and space became fragmented. And yet, as her being faded, she felt a surge of energy, as if the compression of time was feeding her sorceress powers. She began to give in to these feelings, letting her body drift away while the sorceress in her took over. And then…

"Just stay by my side. I won't let you disappear!"

Squall's voice jolted her mind into action. How foolish she had been! The one thing she was supposed to do, the one thing everyone else was doing, was to believe in each other. They could only exist in time compression if they each believed in the others' existence; they would make the trip together. Rinoa forced herself to imagine the faces of each of her friends: Zell's wide smile, Selphie squinting grin, Irvine's wink and smirk, Quistis' stern glare. And of course, the gentle frown and cold but clear eyes of her knight. She felt herself literally being pulled back together, willing herself to become one whole again. Her feet hit something solid, and she stopped falling. She looked around and found herself in Edea's orphanage, along with the entire group. They looked relieved to see her, and Rinoa realized that once again she had been trailing far behind the others.

"Good. We all made it."

Was that it? A journey across time, a near-death experience, and that was his entire consolation? She wanted to be held, comforted; she wanted to feel safe again. But Squall had already moved down to the beach, where bodies lined the shore in either direction as far as she could see.

"Future SeeDs…we're fighting across generations." He turned to face his friends, although Rinoa noted he spent no extra time on her. "Ultimecia's reign…we have to end it now."

They followed their leader to a link of enormous chains that anchored Ultimecia's castle to the ground, Rinoa following close behind. No one spoke. Rinoa knew they were all in battle mode: checking equipment, magic, and junctions for the fight ahead, readying themselves mentally for the challenge, trying to imagine what was in store for them. But none of them could have anticipated the fortress Ultimecia had created. But she did.

_This all looks very familiar,_ she thought. She continued her climb in silence.


	4. Chapter 4

"Squall, look out!"

Rinoa screamed out a warning as the gigantic creature vaulted from its post at the top of the staircase. The party had just filed in through the larger-than-life iron doors of Ultimecia's castle; Squall was addressing the best plan of action, with his back to the stairs. He turned around just as its huge shadow settled over him, giving his SeeD instincts just enough time to dive out of the way. The six friends scattered in all directions, forming a ring around their attacker. The creature had a reddish hue to its scaly skin, and seemed to be wearing a mask over its long face. It shifted its weight to its back two feet, drawing itself up to a stately position. As it wavered between possible targets, Rinoa quickly fired her Angel Wing at its exposed back. The deadly white wings sliced into the nape of the attacker's neck, returning to their owner with a line of deep crimson blood.

The loathsome creature turned towards Rinoa with a mix of a roar and a hiss, then launched itself forward. A fury of spells were called out somewhere in the room.

"Blizzaga!"

"Meltdown!"

Rinoa dove to her right as the creature vaulted into now-empty space. It sprung again as soon as its back legs hit the ground, pivoting to chase after Rinoa and a very confused Quistis.

"Squall! My magic won't work!" she screamed.

"No GFs either!" Selphie cried out.

Realizing this battle could be up to her, Rinoa dove to the ground, turning slightly to land on her back. The sphinx leapt entirely over her, and she fired a pair of projectiles into its soft stomach. It wrenched in pain and slid across the floor. Rinoa stood and reloaded Angel Wing as the monster turned to face her once again. It stepped forward cautiously, preparing its next move.

A blue blur rocketed in from Rinoa's left, as Zell joined the fight. He leapt into the creature with both legs extended, crushing ribs with his junction-enhanced strength. He pushed off the monster's flank into a back flip, landing perfectly on his feet. He followed this display with a flurry of punches, attacking the tender spot he had created with his flying kick. For once, Rinoa appreciated his reckless enthusiasm for physical combat. The monster spun, trying to force Zell into a corner. In doing so, it turned its back to the rest of the party.

Finally in a good position, everyone sprang into action. Irvine sent bullets whizzing past the sphinx's head, looking to lodge one in its thick skull. Squall and Selphie ran to either side of the beast, striking at muscle and bone with perfect accuracy. Quistis laced her whip over its hide again and again, looking for a weak spot. Rinoa sent another winged pinwheel at the creature's neck, this one junctioned with Blizzaga magic for an extra punch. The combined might of all six assailants soon felled the creature, which collapsed awkwardly against the castle wall. Once Zell climbed out from behind the dead monstrosity, Squall went into de-briefing mode.

"Good work everyone; we should expect a lot more tough battles like that one. So it seems that we can't use magic or GFs for some reason. Everyone shift your junctions towards physical attack power – move your status and elemental spells to defense, and…Rinoa, you can relax, the battle's over."

Rinoa remained in her battle stance, the Shooting Star still stained with blood. She rested the weapon on her arm and prepared to strike, to the bewilderment of Squall and the others.

"Rinoa, what's wrong? Why-"

"Look," she said calmly.

The creature pulled itself up from its half-leaning position on the wall as if was not injured at all. Indeed, it acted as if the previous encounter had never happened. Then, as the six teenagers looked on in disgust, its mask began to slide down its face. But it didn't slide so much as ooze, as if the mask were a part of its body that was now melting away. It fell to the castle floor with a squish. The creature then unleashed a mighty roar as its wings opened up, grabbing at the empty air and filling a good part of the large foyer. It leveled its mighty head, staring at the heroes with eyes of stormy green. The new enemy pushed all its weight to its back legs, preparing a counterattack.

"Weapons!" Squall and Rinoa shouted simultaneously. With no time to be confused, their four associates complied.

This second form was craftier than the first. It bounded over a banister to the middle of the central staircase, then leapt straight into the group. Not waiting to be surrounded after the six scattered once again, it continued on its path towards the front entrance. Once there it turned abruptly, facing the students a second time.

Rinoa crept towards the fiend, forming a ring around it with her five compatriots. As Irvine opened fire, the other four rushed in for close-range combat; she pulled back, picking off the weak creatures it summoned to its aid with well-aimed shots from her weapon. No one else took notice of this sub-battle, too encompassed with the largest of the beasts to look around. The sphinx brought its wings down around its body for protection, but the combined might of five SeeDs was too much for the creature to handle. With a final, authoritative slice, Squall beheaded the monstrous being. It collapsed in a bloody heap, blocking the door behind it.

After waiting a full five minutes for another resurrection, Squall turned to Rinoa in surprise.

"How did you know it was going to come back?" he asked her.

"Yeah, and how did you know not to use magic?" Selphie inquired.

"Honestly, I don't know," she lied. "I think I'm finally getting that battle instinct that you're all constantly talking about. I think, maybe, in some small way, I'm becoming like a SeeD."

Squall's mouth twitched; Rinoa had never seen him smile, but this was as close as he had ever gotten. _He's proud of me_, she thought to herself. She wished she could be happy in this moment; the only thing she had really succeeded in was deceiving Squall, and even that was only because he was too blinded by his love for her to question anything she said. _If only you had listened about Adel_, she thought.

"Good work," he said formally, though she could read what he was trying to say, "I love you," in his eyes. Silently she thanked Hyne that he was so unconditionally accepting of her. After all that she had put him though - from the Timber mission, to the battles with Seifer and Edea, to making him a veritable outlaw for rescuing a sorceress - he still cared for her. Sure he might not always say it, but he felt it. She prayed that those emotions would remain after all this was over, after Ultimecia was defeated and these confusing voices were removed from her mind.

"All right, let's keep moving," Squall said, heading for what Rinoa knew was the art room. She gently linked her arms around his, trying to look frightened.

"Why don't we try heading up those stairs? That minion might have been guarding something. And maybe we can get a better look at this place from above." She tried to sound convincing while maintaining the proper amount of illogic.

"Sounds good," he responded after a moment of reflection. "Let's move out."

_Crisis averted_, she thought to herself. _One at a time…_

**_They will all die. _**

* * *

A / N: I will _not_ be covering each boss individually (for an entire fanfic on that very subject, check out Final Destination by Jam3rz, currently in progress). This chapter was merely written as an example of Rinoa's actions inside the castle, which will be mentioned in general later. Oh, and I doubt any new chapters will come up until at least the 27th. Happy holidays everyone! 


	5. Chapter 5

For the next few hours, Rinoa could do no wrong in battle. Her elemental junctions kept her alive against a furious beast in the cellar; a bejeweled fiend was killed by her newly-restored summoning ability (with Eden destroying the entire balcony as well); and her instincts against a normal-looking Vysage kept the party on their guard. But as each monster fell in turn, Rinoa felt a tug on her heart that she couldn't explain. She knew she was fighting against an evil sorceress and her minions, fighting for the sake of the world. Yet there was a sadness in each victory that confused her. Why did she feel regret at these monster's deaths? What did these feelings mean? She wished she could talk to Edea; since the invasion of Galbadia Garden, the ex-sorceress had returned to the kind and gentle Matron her friends had always talked about. Rinoa had had many long talks with her after becoming a sorceress herself, and the two now shared a special bond between them. But she had disappeared along with everyone else when time compression occurred. Rinoa was left alone, with only Squall and her friends to depend on. That night, as the party made camp in the cold, dank wine cellar, Rinoa made up her mind: she was going to tell Squall everything she had been experiencing – the voices, these odd half-memories, everything. She walked over to him, her hands behind her back, trying to duplicate that lazy, aimless stroll she once had.

"So, why are we staying in this horrible place again?"

"Because it's the safest area," Squall responded. "We've cleared out every monster inside, and there's only one way in. That means that only one person has to stand guard, and we won't get surprised easily."

"But what about an escape route? The way things are now, we're totally boxed in. If something were to get through that door, there's no way out."

Squall raised his eyebrows at her and flicked his hand in dismissal. "We can't run anymore, you said so yourself back in Trabia. If we can't get past Ultimecia's minions, what good would it do to face her? We'd be wasting everyone's time."

"Who's everyone? We're the only people left in this timeline, remember?" Rinoa tried her best to smile. "Just the six of us, here, now…"

"-to defeat the Sorceress. Good point Rin." His mind was still on the mission. Rinoa realized she had to be direct.

"Squall, I've been having some weird feelings lately. I can't help but feel empathetic towards these monsters, as if I don't want them to die. And I keep seeing weird things in my dreams involving Garden, and you, and Laguna. But they're not just dreams…it's like I'm seeing the future somehow, you know?"

Squall took his time to speak, as was customary with him. With his brow still furrowed in concentration, he said, "Did you ever enjoy killing monsters, Rinoa? You weren't trained like all of us were; you wish more than anyone that there was another way to do this. As for the dreams, I can't say anything. It might be a side effect of your powers being unlocked, or maybe it's part of your development as a sorceress. But if you can't control it, there's no use worrying about it. Besides, you've been tougher recently than I've ever seen you."

"I wish Edea was here. She and I could always talk," Rinoa mused.

"Like you said, Rin, it's all up to us now. You should get some sleep, you'll be stronger for it. And don't worry about any one of us, we're not going anywhere. Just stay close to me if you're scared."

Rinoa threw her arms around her knight, catching him off guard with a tight hug. Those words - that had saved her in Galbadia, that had given her hope aboard Ragnorak – were better than any healing spell. She pulled back to look into his eyes, deep and surprisingly cute during the rare moments in which he was confused. With a final soft touch, she went back to her tent, thoroughly comforted. Squall stayed at his post, ready to observe the first night shift. As Rinoa crawled into her bed, she heard Zell's questioning voice from the tent next to hers.

"Rinoa?"

"What is it Zell? Everything alright?"

"Yeah, it's just…something's been bothering me all day."

"Look Zell, I don't know _what_ Squall and I are. It's been a rather bizarre few months, and I don't think I can reasonably talk about our relationship with there's a power-hungry sorceress on the loose-"

"No, it's not that. I just want to know something. Who's Krysta?"

Rinoa's sleepy eyes darted open in the dark, as the name brought forth a sudden flurry of memories. She saw a single gem before her, covered with a ghostly hand. She felt an intense warmth after a flash of green light. And faintly, as if it were from somewhere else in the castle, she heard an enchantment…

_**Rise, my Krysta, jewel be  
**__**Vanguard of my sovereignty  
**__**With this spell I give to thee  
**_**_Pow'r to vanquish…_**

"Rinoa?"

_Zell? _Zell! "Sorry Zell. I…don't know that name. Why do you ask?"

"I heard you whisper it after Eden destroyed that sparkly thing. You sounded really sad, too. Everything okay?"

"Everything's fine, Zell. Don't worry about it."

"Cool then. G'night."

Rinoa rolled over, frightful tears starting to cloud the corners of her eyes. _What's happening to me?_ She thought. _What am I doing? Or, even worse…_

_What have I done?_

A/N: Sorry to (both) my loyal readers for the month delay! Expect more regular updates for awhile!


	6. Chapter 6

Rinoa woke to a dismal group of SeeDs that morning. They were in the bottom of a dungeon, smelly and dank, low on food, with the prospect of endless difficult battles all day. And though they were well-rested, it was obvious no one was operating at 100. Zell was having difficulty doing his morning stretches on the castle stone, and seemed stiff and irritable. Irvine was crushing potions into everyone's food rations, and managed a slight smile when Rinoa walked by. Even Selphie seemed less than anxious to put her deadly nunchaku to use. At least she was used to Squall frowning by now.

The day was just as taxing. Although the main hall and cellar were still devoid of enemies, there were over a dozen additional rooms, and Squall insisted that every one of them be cleared. Rinoa, despite all her efforts, could not duplicate the years of training her friends had received: walk into a room; check for exits and corners; draw out monsters; slash, stab, and shoot; collect anything of value; heal; re-junction; repeat. Rinoa was almost maddened by the monotony. But she couldn't drop her guard with Ultimecia's protectors lurking everywhere, especially since each new fiend pushed the group to their limits. One metallic beast locked them in its own dungeon and attacked, and the party had to coordinate entirely in the dark. Each time one fell, Rinoa felt herself grow a little stronger as her powers were unlocked. But the grief in her heart grew as well. She attributed it to stress and fatigue, and vowed to put it from her mind once and for all.

After destroying a huge monster that had led them through a maze of crooked hallways, Squall addressed the group again.

"Alright, that should be the entire first floor, but let's make a final sweep just to be sure."

Selphie crossed her arms and pouted. Irvine just sat down by the door.

"Forget it," he said. "Let's rest here tonight and head up the chapel stairs in the morning. How about it?"

Squall scowled, but everyone was clearly in agreement with this plan. Noting his attitude, Rinoa grabbed his arm again.

"We're with you, Squall. We just need to rest is all. We'll face her soon enough."

He nodded, and they broke out the tents once again.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The third day in Ultemicia's castle dawned just like the second, and the first, and (Rinoa feared) every other day they would wake up in this hellhole. She and her friends were running almost entirely on magic-induced strength, and Rinoa didn't know how much longer she could take it. Between the sheer power of her junctions and her yet-untested sorceress powers, Rinoa felt as if she could burst at any time. Yet the cocktail of positive statuses and elements that coursed through her body could not hold her forever. She needed this to end, and end soon. This feeling gave her a reason to carry on fighting hour after hour, and masked her fatigue with the look of resolve. But in reality, Rinoa was wearing thin.

"Look on the bright side," said Irvine as they went through pre-battle checks. "At least we get to climb a couple hundred stairs as a warm-up today."

Squall crossed his arms, and Rinoa guessed his thought process. Beyond being frustrated at the gunslinger's joking nature and sarcasm, he felt personally attacked as the leader of the group. Rinoa sighed at her temperamental…whatever he was to her, and armed her Angel Wing. _Another few days like this, and we'll do Ultimecia's work for her,_ she thought.

The climb up the ruined chapel staircase was bereft of any challenging puzzles, and there were no enemies to be found. Rinoa reflected on the hundreds of monsters they had killed in two days, and the mountains of carcasses they had left in their wake. They were only dumb brutes, but Rinoa felt some concern for them.

_Is this the best way? Why do so many living things have to die? We've been doing the killing now, not her. Are we any better? _Rinoa thought of the hundreds of bodies lying on the shores of Edea's ruined orphanage, SeeDs that had given their lives to eliminate the Sorceress. _No, we're different. We're doing this to stop her, to stop the terrorizing and killing. But…killing to stop killing? Can we justify that?_

Rinoa's thoughts were pushed from her mind by a stiff breeze that blew into her face. They had climbed the circular staircase, and were standing on a balcony overlooking the entire castle. Below stood floors of empty rooms and broken bodies; farther down was Edea's orphanage and the world they came from. To the right there was a single broad hallway leading to a set of double doors. To the left…

"Whoa!" Selphie and Zell shouted at the same time. A hideous winged beast, a dragon, was flying mere feet above the balcony. It had dark, crusted orange scales on its underside and brilliant blue wings. There were claws extending from the apex of each wing, and its feet carried short, yellowish nails. It seemed to be hunched over in the air, ready to strike at any second. But as the six students rushed into action, it remained still.

"Triple!"

"Meltdown!"

The first spells flew from Rinoa and Quistis' hands to the air, as Squall led the others straight at the beast. He ran directly for the creature's stomach, juking left at the last second and slicing into the creature's side. He engaged the trigger just as the blade met scales, and the explosive round sent a shockwave into the creature. Irvine followed up with a round of his own high-powered ammunition, trying to further aggravate the wounds Squall had caused. Selphie, now over her initial shock, swung repeatedly at the creature's head, scoring several critical blows. While the damage piled up, the dragon continued to hover just above the ground, watching the group with deadened eyes.

A full minute passed in furious tedium, as the six teenagers unleashed their strongest attacks on the monster. They were obviously injuring the creature, but it made no move to attack. When Selphie ran out of patience at this lackluster effort, she stood directly in front of the monster and crossed her weapon.

"What are you waiting on? You're not going to fight us? Then take THIS! Bahamut!"

Her body went translucent, while Rinoa and the others backed away to give the King of Dragons some room to work. The clouds parted, and the enormous night-blue Guardian Force flew in with wings billowed and mouth open. He dove just over his prey and looped back around, taking his usual attack posture about 50 feet above his intended target. But instead of letting loose a trio of fireballs on his foe, he stayed motionless.

"What it is with dragons today?!" a newly corporeal Selphie screamed, her hands gesturing downward furiously. "Bahamut, Mega Flare!"

The dragon dove again, and Rinoa thought it would start its attack anew. But it shot out its wings and stopped in front of their opponent, matching its defensive stance exactly. Rinoa looked from Bahamut to the other dragon. The similarities were more than striking; they were undeniable.

"No way!" Zell shouted. "Are they brothers or something?"

"Selphie, you're its master," Squall said firmly. "Give it a command."

"What do you think I've BEEN doing, Squall? He won't budge!"

"It doesn't have a choice!"

"Tell him that! Hey, you! Attack him already! This is my command to you: ATTACK!"

Bahamut turned its head, looking directly at Selphie. Then it turned back, and stared at its foe again. Back, forth. Back, forth. Seemingly unable to choose a course of action, the dragon threw back its head and let out an incredible roar. Then it turned and vanished into the clouds, just as it did when its usual attack had finished. Selphie was beside herself.

"I thought we unlocked this power! What the heck is going on?"

"Hate to break it to you love, but we still have a monster to kill!" Irvine said hurriedly. He shot another hail of bullets into the dragon, which finally began to stir.

"_Dark…"_

"Anyone hurt? Any battle damage?" Squall shouted out after a moment, training his gunblade on the foe once again.

"No attacks over here, Squall! He's still just listing there-" Zell started enthusiastically. But Rinoa cut him off.

"Look OUT, you idiots! Triple Shell!"

A pink light enveloped Rinoa, Squall, and Quistis as they stood together on the pavilion. The rest of the team hurried to put their own shields in place, but the creature had already muttered a second word.

"…_Flare"_

Six balls of fire were hurled towards the earth from somewhere in the heavens. They closed on the castle with impossible speed, each focused on a single human target far below. They impacted seconds later, raising the air temperature several hundred degrees and blasting rock and ash in every direction. The explosions shook the very earth the castle was resting on and sent waves through the mammoth chains that held it in place. Rinoa felt herself falling, then landing hard on uneven ground. When the dust settled, she saw the creature hovering in the exact same spot as if nothing had occurred. She had sustained some serious burns on her arms and legs, and found herself at the bottom of a crater nearly ten feet deep. The banister of the balcony had been completely destroyed, and loose stone was still falling from the crumbling remains down to the foundation far below. Looking around, Rinoa saw her knight groggily standing next to her, with lit pieces of ash in his hair and dust covering his entire body. Quistis poked her head out from her own crater, likewise maimed but still alive.

Before she could ask about his condition, Rinoa saw Squall vault from the crater out into the open. He ran fearlessly toward the monster, gripping the glowing Lion Heart above his head with both hands. He struck harder and quicker than Rinoa had ever seen before – six, seven, eight times, the blade becoming a mere flash of light in Squall's hands, each slice accompanied with a tremendous blast from the gun component. He continued to attack, chaining blow after blow upon the stationary beast with increasing fervor. Rinoa lost count after the twentieth strike, as they were becoming too quick to delineate. Squall flipped, spun, and sliced away, unflinching. At last, he pulled back for what she knew would be his final strike. Trailing a blinding streak of white light, Squall's gunblade tore the creature in half. He collapsed on the stone, as pieces of the defeated foe fell around him.

Rinoa could barely comprehend what she had just seen. She knew Squall was powerful, but had never seen him attack with that much force before. She saw Quistis standing agape as well, and then realized that she had no idea where the others were.

"Selphie? Zell? Irvine?" she shouted, looking for any sign of them. While Quistis ran to check on Squall, Rinoa searched for her friends. She found Zell and Selphie in another crater, knocked out. Zell's entire body was red and black with burns, his clothes tattered and his hair missing in places. He was lying halfway over Selphie's limp form, and Rinoa realized that he had thrown himself on top of her before the attack hit. She was burned as well, but appeared to be in much better shape that he.

It took much longer to find her boyfriend. The blast had taken out the wall behind them, and Irvine had apparently been sent hurtling through the empty space. Exactly where he impacted was uncertain, but they found him lying on the stairs to the chapel, his arms dangling off the side. Though he had somehow managed not to fall to his death down the center of the circular staircase, he had broken several ribs, suffered a major concussion, and twisted his left ankle. Rinoa was almost glad Selphie would not be able to see him for a while.

With Quistis and a restored Squall helping her, Rinoa carefully mended her comrades. While Rinoa knew curative magic and items could only do so much, Quistis was confident they would recover.

"They're strong. They know how to fight through injuries like these – they're SeeDs. If we give them some time, they can get back enough strength to fight Ultimecia."

Rinoa was shocked. "You're still going to make them fight? They barely lived through this! Quistis, a simple night's rest isn't going to heal them! We can't send them against her to be slaughtered!"

"Our strength comes from more than just junctions and physical fitness," Quistis retorted. "All SeeDs have desire within themselves that pushes them to do even more than their best. We believe in something. Are you going to tell Zell that after everything he's done he has to sit around while we face the sorceress? Are you going to force Selphie to stay behind too? And do you really think you can keep Irvine from following Selphie wherever she goes? This isn't your decision, Rinoa, and it isn't mine!"

Quistis stopped abruptly, realizing how carried away she had gotten. But she seemed less than repentant towards Rinoa, and turned to Squall in an attempt to fill the sudden silence.

"Squall, I thought we knew everything about GFs, but I guess we were wrong. This is unheard of! Did Bahamut hold off because of some connection to that creature?"

"That's impossible," he said, with the same matter-of-fact tone he used in every conversation. "Guardian Forces obey their masters, and that's it. They can't turn against them, they can't disobey them, not a chance."

"Then how can you explain what happened today? I mean-"

"I can't," he said quietly. "But we won the battle, and that's all that matters."

"But Squall, what if Ultimecia possesses the same power? What if our junctions are suddenly useless?"

"We still had our junctions, just not our summons. As long as we have those, we can fight."

"Yes Squall, but can we _win_?"

Squall said nothing. Off on her own, staring at the faces of her unconscious friends, Rinoa did the same.


End file.
